$500 gas heater rebate under wood heater replacement program just for Perth for now: regional air quality plans under development

The Western Australian government would not immediately ensure that the $500 gas heater rebate available to metropolitan residents was made available to all residents in the Goldfields and other residents outside of the Perth metropolitan area, said Minister for the Environment David Templeman in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly on 14 August 2007.Air quality plans being developed for regions: Responding to a question he explained: “The current wood heater replacement program is funded under the Perth Air Quality Management Plan. The wood heater replacement program at present focuses on the community, amenity and health impacts of smoke from domestic sources in the Perth metropolitan area. Future programs could be extended outside of the Perth metropolitan area to include the Goldfields. A number of air quality management plans are currently being developed for regional areas, including Kalgoorlie. Where wood heaters are identified to be a significant contributor to air pollution, regional management programs similar to those for Perth will be considered.”

Consultation closes 31 August: “The wood heater policy options paper was released on 23 May 2007 for public comment, closing on 31 August 2007,” the Minister said. “This consultation document includes details of calculations of health costs attributed to wood smoke emissions in the Perth metropolitan region. The rationale and factors considered to calculate this figure are outlined in Section 2.3 of the document. In addition to this, a supplementary document titled Cost-Benefit Analysis of Wood-Smoke Reduction in Perth is available on the Department of Environment and Conservation’s website.”Reference: Mr Matt J. Birney, Member for Kalgoorlie, LP, Mr David A. Templeman, Minister for the Environment, Member for Mandurah, ALP, Legislative Assembly of Western Australia, Hansard, 14 August 2007. A copy of these proceedings can be accessed athttp://www.parliament.wa.gov.au